I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare
by PhoenixFireBlade
Summary: "I dare you to…" Homura paused. Shirogane stared blankly at Homura as the silver-white haired boy thought of a suitable dare for Shirogane. "Oh, I know! I dare you to make Ryugasaki-kun fall for you, but you cannot fall for him. Break up as soon as he falls deeply in love with you, and give him the heartbreak of his life!" Updated! (Ch9: The conclusion to this arc) *smiles*
1. Chapter 1: The Start of Their Story

***sigh* Why do I have all these random thoughts in my head... I really wish I could focus all my time on writing stories, then I'd be able to write as much as I want. Anyways, I present to you my latest idea for a fanfic, let me just tell you that I hate my life, and even though I know I'm going to fail at this terribly, I'll try my best to give you guys a hell of a love story. I'll try to make it as twisted as possible, but then again I'm no good at angst-y stories *sobs* **

**Hate me or love me, I'll still be writing. So please, if you guys want to, take just a minute or so to leave a review. Criticism of any kind will be gladly accepted! Deep in my heart, I'm itching for someone to just slap it in my face just how bad a writer I am. Oh, and I don't do well with mature scenes, so I will not be going in there.**

**Thank you all for deciding to even click on my story, know that it means a lot to me to know that out there, someone's reading the crap I wrote :)**

**Master procrastinator, PhoenixFireBlade**

**EDIT: GUYS, I AM SO SORRY BUT I EDITED A MAJOR PART OF THE STORY. PLEASE, REREAD AND UPDATE YOURSELF. THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE I DIDN'T PLAN OUT MY STORY WELL.**

**MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES, PhoenixFireBlade**

* * *

***I Never Loved You, It was Nothing But A Dare…***

**#Chapter 1: The Start of Their Story**

For some time now, Homura had been staring at Shirogane's growing affection for Ryugasaki, Dracyan's partner. The whitehead had been jealous of Ryugasaki's natural talent in crossfire. His naïve love for b-daman had made Homura feel disgusted, but the way he was able to make almost everyone take a liking to him fuelled his hatred the most.

Besides Ryugasaki, though, Homura was also growing to dislike Shirogane's overly intelligent self. The dark-haired boy was too observant, too smart, too nosy. He knew when Homura was up to no good and he had foiled the white-haired teen's plans in getting the WBMA under his control. And after his plans were exposed and he lost everything he worked hard for, he found that he blamed Shirogane for it all.

So, once the opportunity of taking revenge on both at the same time came about in a Truth or Dare game, Homura could only help but snicker at his chance.

"So you actually pick dare?" Homura asked. "Are you sure? There's no backing out once you do," he even warned. He was feeling a little too excited and he knew that he might just take things a little too far.

"Yeah, I pick dare. Truths all the time are boring," Shirogane replied nonchalantly. He didn't care, for how bad could a dare be?

"I dare you to…" Homura paused. Shirogane stared blankly at Homura as the silver-white haired boy thought of a suitable dare for Shirogane. "Oh, I know! I dare you to make Ryugasaki-kun fall for you, but you cannot fall for him. Break up as soon as he falls deeply in love with you, and give him the heartbreak of his life!" Shirogane didn't – couldn't – answer Homura, save for a reluctant nod. He was too prideful to back out after he had ruined the formally-dressed teen once in the past.

Homura turned away and pretended to check his phone. He faked, "Oh, look at the time! I need to go now, bye Shirogane!" He told Tenpouin he was heading home first, then left hastily, a devious smirk on his face that no one noticed.

Shirogane sighed to himself. This dare was _a little _overboard. He turned to face the monitor displaying the crossfire match in East City. Ryugasaki was shown to be chuckling after getting his turn at playing, and Shirogane knew that he had made a huge mistake in agreeing. He was too prideful and it was not going to end well.

"What have I gotten myself into this time…?" Shirogane questioned himself as he knew that there were problems that would conflict if he were to carry out his dare.

…

* * *

_I can't do this._

_I can't fall in love with him._

_I can't make him fall for me._

_I can't break up with him._

_I can't let myself break us up._

_I have absolutely no idea why, but…_

_I love Ryugasaki._

_Always have and always will…_

Those were the few words Shirogane scribbled down carelessly in a planner-notebook-diary of his. He used that same book for all three purposes. This time, he was at the 'diary' section, telling himself that he couldn't carry out the dare. Even though he wrote them as scribbles, they still looked neat and tidy.

He took one last look at the book and closed it, sighing. He was waiting for the bell to ring so he could escape the classroom.

It finally did after another suffocating five minutes. Shirogane clutched his planner-notebook-diary tightly and left the classroom through the back door, which was nearer to him than the front. He was exiting the doors and about to head down the stairs to his favourite secluded spot in the botanical gardens when he ran into somebody familiar.

"Oh, good morning, Shirogane-kun," Homura greeted, bowing slightly and politely. A smile –clearly fake- was plastered on his face. "This is for you," Homura added, forced an even bigger smile, and walked away. Shirogane didn't even have time to comprehend the white-haired's words. He looked at the slip of paper in his hands.

"What is he doing now…? And in my school too..." Shirogane sighed to himself. Homura sure looked like he was having tons of fun with this little love game.

He made his way silently to the botanical gardens as mentioned before. He sat down against the lone, beautiful, blossoming-all-year-around Sakura tree and whipped out an indigo coloured gel pen. He flipped open to the 'diary' section of the book again and put the tip of his pen against his chin, thinking what to write. His legs were brought up closer to his chin as he placed the book against them. Finally deciding, he put the pen against the paper.

_Yesterday was a total wreck. I hate myself. That Homura keeps getting in other's way and won't leave me alone. If this is his way of getting revenge, it's sure as hell not funny or appropriate._

_He dared me to fall in love with then break up with Ryugasaki._

_I love the first part of the dare, I'll admit, I have had my sights on that bluenette for some time now. But the second part… I'll have to think twice before carrying it out. I mean, I don't want to hurt him, or have him hate me, but I… _

_All I know is that Homura will pay when I have more of his secrets, personal or not, brought into daylight. Surely he must have some._

_For now, I think I'll just have to deal with my life._

_Signing off,_

_Shirogane Subaru_

_15 April 20xx_

Subaru lifted his pen from the page, then closed it immediately. He was about to get up from his spot when he remembered the slip he received from Homura.

"Might as well," he muttered as he opened the slip. It said:

'Dear Shirogane, I know that my dare could've been way too easy at first, but then I remembered that I forgot to give you the details. Well, first, you're not supposed to let him know that this loving and breaking up is a dare at all, even after you've completed it. Second, I'm giving you until the end of summer break to do it. That should be long enough, right?

If you do not obey by these rules I've set for this little dare of ours, or if you wish to withdraw from this game, I will expose whatever I can on you, streaker.

Have a pleasant day, Shirogane-kun.'

Shirogane's eyes widened when he finished reading. _How did he know about my streaking incident?! I thought I had that little secret covered up… Besides, it wasn't my fault at all; what happened with the streaking._

Well apparently, he didn't cover it up good enough.

"I take back what I said about exposing him… I'll just straight up murder him if I have to," Shirogane silently vowed to himself. _Now it's not just a mere dare anymore, _he thought. _It's a case of carrying out a love experiment and blackmailing me, all for the sake of revenge…_

* * *

**A/N: So, I'll just clarify this now.**

**Bold: Author's notes.**

_Italics: Character's thoughts_

_Italics and Underlined: Shirogane's Diary Entries_

Horizontal line: Setting and Time Skip (usually)

_**Bold and Italics: Flashbacks **_

**We all cool with my style of writing? Thanks :3**

**Will be updating very irregularly and slowly, PhoenixFireBlade**


	2. Chapter 2: He's Lying

**[A/N: Guys, just wanted to clarify that this takes place right after the time where Ryugasaki Kakeru and Shirogane Subaru beat Homura Naoya and Watari Daiki in break bomber. Thanks! Oh and this is completely different from the original story; I'm taking it where I want to XD]**

**Without further ado, I present:**

* * *

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 2: He's Lying**

_Today isn't going to end well…_ Shirogane thought to himself as he looked at all the scores from all over. Both sides -East Block and West Block- were doing exceptionally well that day while he knew he couldn't concentrate. He looked at Dravise.

"Just… concentrate," Dravise said, unable to come up with any detailed lectures this time around.

"Yeah. Great advice. Thanks," Shirogane mumbled. He heard the white dragon b-daman let out a huff and suddenly he felt a huge emptiness swallow him.

"Don't feel like participating today… Dravise, would it be okay if we skipped crossfire and headed home?" Shirogane asked his b-daman. His partner disagreed immediately as it replied indignantly, "What the hell is up with you today?"

"Nothing is going on, that's what bothers me," Shirogane answered. _I just don't want to see Ryugasaki-kun. Not today. Please._

"I'm feeling a sense of dread radiating from you," Dravise pointed out. "Is there someone you don't want to see?"

"No." _I'm a liar._

"You're lying through your teeth."

"Am not." _Please, insist that I am._

"I won't say anything then," the b-daman said, ending the conversation.

_Damn it, Dravise. Can't you see that I want so badly for you to lecture me today? _

Shirogane looked out at the crossfire stage. "Shirogane." The automated voice called for him. He took his place at the Furious Gate Strike playing field without thinking, and looked at the gates open and close, open and close… He raised Dravise as he took position.

"Ready, aim, cross…fire!" Tenpouin announced, starting Shirogane's turn.

The dark-haired b-shot suddenly felt his vision blur a little. He blinked a few times, hoping that his eyes would be able to focus. They didn't. He resorted to rubbing them a little.

"Shirogane! Damn it, just fire! I am a rapid fire type, you know," Dravise snapped at his partner. He didn't hear.

_Why… are these tears?! I'm… crying…_ Shirogane kept rubbing and rubbing as his time limit continuously ticked away. If you were the observant type of person, you would see the annoyance and impatience radiating from the white dragon b-daman.

"Subaru, just fire like you would normally," Dravise said as calmly as he could, this time using his partner's given name. That hit the spot as Shirogane snapped out of crying and thinking about Ryugasaki. He checked with the time limit given to him.

'Shit, I've only time for a special move…' Shirogane mumbled to himself, and he allowed his arm gauntlets to charge up.

"Tornado Spiral Attack," Dravise said when the gauntlets were ready.

"Blow it away, Dravise!" He fired as many marbles as he possibly could into the gates, but in the middle of firing, his hand slipped, causing the firing to cease earlier than he intended.

The sound of the buzzer resonated through the Crossfire arena as all the b-shots of the West and East Block stared at Shirogane's score, unbelieving expressions on their faces.

"No way…"

"Can't be…"

"His score is…"

Shirogane felt all the stares directed at the scoreboard turned back at him, the unbelieving looks now turned into sad, pitiful ones. He was feeling uneasy and looked up.

His eyes widened when he saw the result.

"I'm… in last place?"

* * *

"Shirogane-kun?" Ryugasaki muttered. He couldn't believe the scores either as he stared at the other player's reactions. Shirogane was staring at the board wide-eyed, his hands were shaking subtly and he swore he noticed the dark-haired b-shot's eyes tearing up. Moments later, he saw Shirogane run out of the Crossfire arena.

"What a pity, isn't it? I wonder what happened." Homura said as naturally and concerned as possible. Ryugasaki was much denser than Shirogane, so the red dragon user wasn't too worried about exposing himself.

"Yeah, he's acting rather strange," Ryugasaki replied, unaware of Homura's love experiment antics. A smirk forced itself onto the silver-white haired teenager's face, but he wiped it off immediately.

"You think something's bothering him?" _Like a love experiment?_

"Must be something important. Why else would he act like this?" Ryugasaki replied, but he had no idea what.

"Homura," the automated voice called. He quickly broke off from the conversation, saying, "Wish me luck."

Ryugasaki smiled his usual, innocent smile. "Good luck to you, Homura-kun!"

He could only smile as he stepped up to the playing field, but the smile was not an innocent one.

* * *

_How… How did I… I just… T-there was nothing I could do, I was thinking about him!_ Shirogane even stuttered in his own thoughts as his feet carried him away from the arena. Where to, they didn't care. He just knew he had to run.

"Hah, hah, hah…" he panted as he stopped at a crossroad. A vending machine was right beside him and he leaned his right hand onto it for support, the other pressing against his thigh. Vehicles zoomed by his left as he stood there, allowing himself some time to recompose.

"What's a little kid like you doing out here?" a gruff voice asked threateningly. Shirogane lifted his head immediately and turned to find a bunch of gangsters cackling and cracking their knuckles.

_Wow, how lucky am I… This is going to hurt._

"This is our ground," one of them said mockingly, a smirk on his scarred face. Shirogane's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the multiple lines; some more prominent than others.

"We're going to have to charge you for trespassing," another piped up, his hand outstretched for receiving any cash Shirogane might have on him. Too bad the boy didn't have a single cent.

"I don't have any money, so would you please leave me alone?"

"You don't?" A fourth said. "Well then, we'll have to punish you for wasting our time."

Shirogane closed his eyes. _I knew this was going to hurt…_

* * *

He trudged home with a bruise apparent on his left cheek. He rubbed it slowly, flinching when his own palm came in contact with the injury. He continued to walk until he saw a black limo parked in front of his house.

_The WBMA? What are they doing at my place?_ He hastened his footsteps towards his home and looked at the car from the outside.

"Shirogane-kun?" Tenpouin asked as he stared at her through the window.

"What is the WBMA doing here?" the b-shot questioned.

"Your dad is going outstation on another investigation, so he's asked grandpa to let you stay at our building. Of course he said yes," Tenpouin explained. "I'm simply here to pick you up."

"Ah. Let me get some things from the house then we can go."

"Take your time, Shirogane-kun. And if you ever want to talk about anything, I'll listen," Tenpouin offered, hinting about what happened earlier.

"I'm fine, Tenpouin-san. I don't need to talk about anything," Shirogane declined. He walked into his home, grabbed his schooling backpack, filled another bag with his essentials (along with his planner-notebook-diary) and headed back to where the car was waiting for him. The brunette smiled and gestured to the backseat, so he climbed in there and set his things down on the floor.

The drive was peaceful, until Shirogane felt like the brunette in front of him was looking at him. He lifted his head and indeed she was staring. He narrowed his eyes.

"Is something the matter, Tenpouin-san?" Shirogane asked politely.

"Not really," she answered him, turning back to look in front. "I was just wondering about your cheek. It's bruised."

Shirogane subconsciously lifted his left hand and placed his stinging cheek in his palm. "I'm really fine, Tenpouin-san. Some bullies just wanted cash from me but I didn't have any."

"Would you like me to treat it for you?" the girl offered, to which Shirogane declined. "It'll heal."

She turned back to look at the road and left the b-shot in peace. He exhaled a sigh and fished out his planner-notebook-diary, flipping it again to the 'diary' section.

_Attending Crossfire today was a huge mistake. I couldn't concentrate, I ended up crying on the playing field, and then I got the lowest score. On the Furious Gate Strike too, what a joke. Ryugasaki is too powerful at triggering my emotions, and I don't want to know what else he's capable of. My heart goes soft at him. *sigh*_

_That Homura… It seems he's gone back to the East Block today. I'm certainly glad he's gone back there, but coming to West City and appearing at my school is a bit strange. I wonder about him sometimes. What he does are all mysteries._

_Damn, I just reminded myself of Ryugasaki back there. He always says 'mystery' and in such a cute way, you wouldn't believe he's a boy in the first place. I think I'm falling for him…_

_Fine, I'll admit it; I am attracted more to boys than girls. But it's not a crime, right? I've seen plenty of boys with boys and girls with girls. Homura though… he thinks this is funny, asking me to fall in love then break up. _

_Tenpouin-san; I'm in a limo with her. Most boys would scream at me right now because I'm not doing much anything, but I'd rather be my boy-loving self right now._

_Hmm, today's entry doesn't seem to be very interesting. Guess I'm not in the mood to write. Oh well._

_Signing off,_

_Shirogane Subaru_

_16 April 20xx_

He closed the book right after and kept the pen along with it. He let his gaze focus out the window for the rest of the journey.

Tenpouin was silently observing him from the rearview mirror. Watching him write caught her interest, so she just watched. After he put down his pen and notebook, she watched as he stared out the window without a sound and gradually drifted off. His expression was adorable in its own way, with a minor smile across his usually straight lips, and she caught herself smiling at the reflection in the mirror.

_He should smile more,_ she thought. _It suits him._

* * *

Homura was standing in his apartment in East City, watching the scenery from the 17th floor. Vehicles zoomed by the busy roads and people flooded the streets. The formally-dressed teen looked up as he directed his gaze towards the evening, soon-to-be-night sky.

_Let's see you get out of this one without hurting yourself or Ryugasaki-kun, Shirogane._ He smirked and exhaled a triumphant breath, fogging the window but it cleared soon anyway.

_And since I've closed off your hopes of explaining this matter to him, it would take a miracle for any of you to be unscathed. Best of luck to you, my dearest test subjects._

* * *

**I was very, very excited to get on with the story, so I did. Writing is what I do as a hobby right now, hehe. The school holidays would have been so boring without a little fun like this, so I've decided to write, write and write… But enough about my writing, I wanna hear what you guys have to say about this, cool? Okay, thanks. All reviews will be taken seriously, not joking here.**

**Oh and, if you guys have any ideas for games that they could play as a group like Spin the Bottle or Truth or Dare, please help me out by naming them. If you can, a description of how to play as well. I will need these for future chapters. Again, thank you.**

**I know I'm not a good writer, bear with me. I swear, I am really, really bad compared to other writers out there. The images in my imagination are way more creative than what I've written here *cries* So guys, ****review**** please and I will get back to you in any way I possibly can. I apologize first hand if you think I'm wasting your time reading this crap. Thanks for the support you've shown by reading the story.**

**Oh, what am I saying? I think I'm rambling… **

**Feeling grateful, PhoenixFireBlade**


	3. Chapter 3: Shirogane-kun

**Nothing much to say here, this time around. Oh well. If you guys are still reading, allow me to thank you first :) And without any more meaningless talks, I present:**

* * *

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 3: "Shirogane-kun."**

"Would you rather a room high up or near the ground?" Tenpouin asked as she held onto Shirogane's schoolbag. He was still looking rather sleepy, considering that he slept on the way here.

"Higher up," he mumbled sleepily and yawned right after, lifting a hand to cover his gaping mouth. Tenpouin had to fight the urge to chuckle when she saw that side of Shirogane. The dark-haired boy was usually focused and serious. This was the opposite of him.

"Follow me then, Shirogane-kun." He opened his eyes but failed to do so fully, so right now his eyes were half-lidded. Tenpouin called for a lift, smiling as she did so. It came shortly and they stepped in.

"Shirogane-kun, since you wanted a place higher up, you're on the seventh floor, alright?" she asked, pressing the button for floor 7. He nodded absentmindedly and used his gloved right hand to rub his eyes.

_This is gold,_ Tenpouin thought to herself. _He's acting like a kid all over again._ But she knew it wouldn't last when he finally sobered up.

"Thanks for the hospitality," the blue-black haired b-shot said, indicating that his normal self was back on and the sleepy version gone. Tenpouin pouted silently while turning her head to the side.

"I liked the other version of you better," she muttered, still pouting.

"Did you say something?" Shirogane asked. She shook her head and mouthed a 'no' to him.

She quickly wiped the pout off her face as the lift let out a 'ding' and the doors opened. She led the way, her usual smile back on her face, and the b-shot followed.

"Here you go. It's nice and furnished, if a desk, chair and bed is what you call furnishing," she told him, opening the door and walking in. The room wasn't exactly spacious, but the way everything was arranged, it looked really cozy. The bed sheets were white as snow; the double layered curtains one a beautiful opaque teal and the other a plain translucent white; the carpeted floor beige. An oak desk was placed across from the single bed, with a chair with wheels rolled nicely inside it; the desk covering the dark blue padded seat while the back rest was out. Beyond the teal curtains were glass doors, and then a balcony. Shirogane smiled.

"This is just nice. Thanks again, Tenpouin-san," the dark-haired boy mentioned, bowed slightly and entered the room. She handed him his bag she carried and told him to settle in before closing the door behind her, leaving him alone. A closet with beautiful carvings all over sat beside the bed, separated by a nightstand with a lamp on it. He placed his bags inside the closet.

_Wow, it's a really nice room. Such a colour combination, I love it. It's relaxing._ He took some time to look at the room again, noticing the pattern of the walls were vertical stripes, pure white and milky white alternating. The ceiling was entirely white.

"Dravise, what do you think of this setting?" he asked his b-daman after fishing it out from his pocket. The white dragon gave a complimenting reply.

"Maybe you would like the cool spring breeze to blow in?" Dravise suggested. His partner agreed and strolled over to the curtains, flinging aside the thicker, heavier opaque layer. He then unlocked the glass doors and slid them open, allowing the cool outside air in. He retracted his hands when he was done and the translucent layer of the curtains fell back into place. He tied up the opaque layer.

"That's nice," Dravise commented. The b-daman could feel the air flowing in, replacing the hotter air inside. The starry night sky made the curtains look as if they were a midnight blue with glitter all over. Just then, his phone beeped.

'Whenever you're ready, dinner's served at the dining room on floor 2.' These words were from Tenpouin, telling him to where to have dinner, and he nodded at his phone.

'Be right there. By the way, the room you guys have for me is truly lovely. Thanks again.' Shirogane replied. He was about to leave the room with Dravise in his hand when Tenpouin texted back.

'Oh stop thanking us, you grateful little mushroom. :)' was what she texted. Shirogane chuckled.

"Dinner sounds really great right now," he mumbled to himself before shutting the door.

* * *

Shirogane was sitting on his bed in his pyjamas, reading 'The Shining'. He was intrigued and fascinated when he first heard about the book from his dad.

"It's a really nice horror book," he told Shirogane.

Seeing it on the shelves of the library in the WBMA, he picked it up, checked it out and went back to his room.

"Wow," he exclaimed as he put a bookmark where he stopped, closing the book after and put it down on his nightstand. "This writing takes literature to a whole new level. I never knew."

He was about to be done for the day when his phone rang. He picked up the blinking device and looked at the caller ID.

"It's an unknown number. Hmm…" He picked up and greeted his caller.

"Hello. Shirogane speaking."

"Ah, it's me, Ryugasaki Kakeru from the East Block. Tenpouin-san gave me your number. I just wanted to call and see if you were doing all right. You did run off earlier. Were you crying?" Ryugasaki bombarded him suddenly. Shirogane's eyebrows furrowed as he felt his insides swirl a little.

_What…? I must have eaten too much back there._ "I'm fine, Ryugasaki-kun. No worries," he replied, ignoring the weird feeling in he felt.

"That so? I'm glad, Shirogane-kun." The blue-black haired boy felt a sudden churn follow the way Ryugasaki said his name. It sounded absolutely innocent rolling off his tongue. Shirogane silently smiled.

"I had no idea my name could sound so pure," he muttered into the receiver, but loud enough for Ryugasaki to make out the words. He could hear a soft chuckle on the other end of the call.

"Your name has always been this way, Shirogane-kun," the blue dragon b-daman user said. Shirogane felt a sudden comfortable feeling rise when the person on the other end said his name again. So comfortable, he wanted to experience it once more.

"Say my name again," he commanded and immediately received a reply.

"Shirogane-kun."

"Again."

"Shirogane-kun."

"Again." He heard a laugh on the other end and multiple replies came.

"Shirogane-kun. Shirogane-kun. Shirogane-kun…" He smiled and waited, his body slumping into the pillows propped up behind him, the lamp on the nightstand emitting a soft yellow glow. His eyes closed tiredly as he listened to the receiver without a word. Indeed, his name sounded very different coming from the East Block boy. After a few more, Ryugasaki finally stopped.

"Shirogane-kun, was that enough?" he heard the blue-haired b-shot's voice ask. He felt tired, sleepy, so he mumbled a soft 'yes' and waited for a response.

"Good night then, Shirogane-kun."

"Good night," he replied before ending the call. He put down his phone and was about to sleep when his hands itched for the planner-notebook-diary. So, he opened the nightstand's drawer and took out the book and indigo pen, flipping it to the 'diary' section (wow, it looks like he never writes anything in the other pages).

_This is a night entry, second one of the day._

_My first entry today was kind of substance-less. Not that it matters. Tenpouin-san told me my dad is outstation, so I'm staying with her and grandpa Tenpouin in the WBMA HQ. The room they prepared for me was very nicely done up, with the coziness and the relaxing cool colour combination. It looks refreshing._

_Their library is huge, filled with magnificent pieces of literary works I've heard are famous all around the world. Today, I picked up The Shining from the place. It really is a nice horror book. I've been eyeing The Kite Runner as well, since I saw Tenpouin-san reading it in school and took a peek at the pages. _

_But the few moments before I picked up my pen must have been, by far, the best moments I've experienced in a long time. The way my name escapes Ryugasaki-kun's lips makes it sound innocent and pure. He's one of a kind, that b-shot. I'm going to have a really hard time at the end of summer. I wish time could turn back and stop, just to listen to him again. _

_Oh, what am I saying? *chuckles* I can't control time. That weird feeling I felt when I listened to him must be making me ramble on and on._

_Still feeling jittery from the feeling inside me,_

_Shirogane Subaru_

_16 April 20xx, night time_

Finally done with writing, he closed his book and kept it away in the drawer from where he fished it, turned off the lamp on the nightstand, and slept. That night, he dreamt of Ryugasaki calling his name over and over again, but under very different circumstances. Homura had an arm wrapped around his neck, strangling him, and he helplessly cried to Shirogane to save him. But Shirogane couldn't do a thing. He was just as trapped as Ryugasaki was, in a pit of quicksand that had covered up to his neck at that point.

* * *

**A/N: If you guys think my updating is fast, here's some bad news: Now's the school holidays, so I can afford to write chapter after chapter like this. But this won't last. Tomorrow, when I go back to school, everything will change. **

**I'm sorry, please don't kill me :)**

**For reading up to here, I thank you, because I don't do well with cliffhangers and such. Thank you!**

**Writing is my life, PhoenixFireBlade**


	4. Chapter 4: Trapped

**Hello, dear readers. In this long author's note, I am announcing that I have made a slight yet VERY IMPORTANT change in the FIRST CHAPTER. Please reread the chapter BEFORE YOU READ THIS ONE. **

**I am really sorry about this. For those of you who do not bother to read the author's notes, you may find that something's wrong with the writing in this chapter. If you happen to review on what seems to be wrong, I will just give you a smiley face and you should know that I am glaring at you through the internet.**

**To those who do read the author's notes, thank you for spending your time to do so. Personally, as a reader of fanfictions and as an author on this network, I find it important to read what the author has to say. Thank you for your cooperation.**

**Sorry for rambling on in this note. Please read first chapter.**

**My apologies, PhoenixFireBlade.**

_**And now, I present:**_

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 4: Trapped**

_I'm still so tired… _Shirogane rolled around in bed a while after hearing his phone's alarm clock go off. He didn't want to entertain the device at first, but when the snooze alarm rang again, he felt like there was something wrong.

"How was that five minutes?" he mumbled sleepily, one eye still closed while the other half-lidded. He yawned and stretched before tending to the blinking piece of technology, and looked at the glowing screen.

"What the… it's four in the morning and Homura's calling?!" The boy that has hair same colour as the current sky exclaimed, complaining to himself for a while before picking up.

"It's the second call, Shirogane-kun," Homura stated coldly, not even bothering to greet him.

"Yeah, says the person who woke me up at four in the damn morning for no particular reason," the white dragon user retorted.

"You mean 4.07 in the damn morning," Homura corrected him. "I'm very precise."

"Well, sorry then to not abide by your time rules. Maybe the next time I shall include the seconds as well?" Shirogane replied sarcastically. He could hear a soft, amused chuckle on the other end of the line.

"You sure are different from your usual personality. More sarcastic and lively when you're moody?" Homura teased.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm not in the best mood since I usually sleep in after sleeping late each night."

"Maybe that's why you're so short. Sleeping late, huh? That's not the best lifestyle," Homura said sternly as if caring for Shirogane but the blue-black haired b-shot knew better.

"I have to if I'm ever going to have any time to myself when my dad's around. He and his nosy, I'm-your-father-so-you-listen-to-what-I-say attitude is annoying the crap out of me so I create some alone time after he sleeps. But I do get up early if forced," Shirogane told the silver-white haired boy.

"How late is your alone time?" Homura asked out of curiosity.

"Lately it isn't as bad; I sleep at around 2am in the morning. When I was a little less health-orientated, I could sleep at 4 or 5 in the morning. And yes, I am online doing things I like to," Shirogane said, his guard a lot more down than usual.

"I see. Well, I think it's a good thing you're not so inhumanly nocturnal." I heard a soft humorous laugh on the other end of the line as I laugh along softly too. "Thank you for your time," he bade and hung up.

When beeping sounds that indicated the call has been disconnected were heard and a lock sound produced from the phone, the midnight-blue haired boy suddenly had a bad feeling like no other.

_Something is wrong. Homura couldn't have called me to simply talk about sleeping habits. Heck, I think he let the flow of the call go too smoothly,_ he thought. _If so, that was the goal of the call? He must have achieved it, but I don't think, that in any way, that one call would be of use to him. I know that schemer; he never does things without reason…_

As if to answer his question, a text message from the mentioned white-head came and his phone beeped and blinked. Inside, the message wrote:

'Dear Shirogane-kun, I'm sure you had sufficient time to think over what happened: the call. You're too alert to not notice that there was no true meaning on my part to call you. All we did was ramble on and on about your sleeping habits.

Well, truth be told, my phone has a recording function. Cool, right? Yes, that's correct; I recorded our little call. And why? Once you decide to tell Ryugasaki-kun about our little deal, I'm going to rat you out to your father. Wouldn't it be nice to just let your dear daddy know his son is not the obedient little child he thinks you are?

Give it up, streaker. Your hands are tied.

Have a nice day. :)'

His face –especially his widened eyes that looked like they were going to pop right out of their sockets– screamed shock when he finished Homura's message. Even his hands trembled and he dropped his phone on the pillow.

"I've been played! Played for a fool!" he exclaimed. The shock soon disappeared, replaced by anger instead. He grabbed a fistful of his white blanket, trying to exert his anger into the piece of cloth. Memories of rather unfortunate incidents (which include the streaking) flooded his mind almost immediately at the thought of the word _streaker _used on him, causing Shirogane to 'back down' from the anger. He swore the room temperature dropped a few degrees as fear crossed his mind along with the memories. He sat on his bed frozen.

"_**Subaru-kun, open the door," a sickly sweet, purring voice called out to the young eight-year-old boy while he was showering. **_

"_**Subaru-kun…"**_

"_**Subaru-chan… Do you need your lessons retaught?" **_

"_**Subaru…"**_

"Subaru!" He snapped out of his haunting thoughts at his b-daman's authoritative voice. He turned to look at Dravise, still feeling a little shaky from plunging into _that_ world.

"Sheesh, I called you at least three times by your surname! Do you need me to call your given name all the time?" the white dragon b-daman snapped at him. Shirogane quickly protested.

"N-no. T-there's no need for that, Dravise," he said in defense of himself. The words that exited from his throat came out as stutters from his minor panic attack earlier. "Y-you shouldn't b-be doing that anyways." He heard the b-daman sigh at his weak protest.

"You're stuttering. You never stutter," the b-daman stated mercilessly, showing no warmth for his partner in his cold voice. "You just panicked in your bed from remembering things you shouldn't be and now you think you can get away with telling me that you are fine or will be fine? I'm not dense, Shirogane." This time it was the b-shot's turn to exhale a sigh, though his was more of a relief sigh.

"I know you aren't, Dravise. More accurately, you aren't because you can't afford to be slow when you're paired up with me," Shirogane said, his usual confident and collected self returning. Dravise smiled internally. _He's calmed down now._

"You'd better sleep. It's nearing half past four," Dravise told him and the b-shot put down his phone, tucking himself under his messy covers, sleeping peacefully this time.

* * *

Homura put down his phone triumphantly. He was sure that the text he sent his love experiment test subject would bother him a while. He stood up from his bed, wearing shorts and a T-shirt that look rather disturbing on him, since his normal choice of clothes always covered up his fair milky skin that was now exposed. Dragren's usual scheming chuckle rang through his quiet bedroom.

"You sure like your sweet revenge, huh Naoya?" Dragren said more than asked, using his partner's given name at the same time.

"You could say that. I'm not that intent on doing anything to Ryugasaki though. Shirogane was -is- the main source of my failure, so I'm playing this game with him extra hard." He stood up from sitting on the bedside and walked towards the glass windows, mentioning to his b-daman, "And please refrain from using my given name, Dragren." The b-daman grew quiet as he recognized the venom dripping from Homura's words. He could tell that the b-shot meant every word of what he said, because of the way he added the b-daman's name (which he rarely does) at the end of his sentence. If not for the illuminating moon light, the b-daman would have been very much more afraid seeing a soft glow in Homura's emerald eyes. They sparkled with only one thing on Homura's mind.

Revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. _I've got you cornered, Shirogane._

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry for a short chapter this time. I would've done more, but this episode in the story felt like it needed to happen on its own. And for those of you who aren't yet caught up with my plot, refer back to Chapter 1: The Start of Their Story, please. I've made changes.**

**See, this is what happens when you don't plan out your stories beforehand. I'm sorry about changing what has already been posted, but I had no choice otherwise.**

**Thanks for understanding.**

**Sincerest apologies, PhoenixFireBlade.**


	5. Chapter 5: His Fear

**I realized that for this chapter to be possible, Homura, Shirogane and Ryugasaki will have to be same aged (13 years old). Please, dear readers, keep in mind of this fact that I changed about them. Thanks for this.**

**Seriously, my character facts are all over the place. It's like I only point it out when I need to because random ideas appear ever-so suddenly and then I add it into my story without thinking further.**

**Gomen, minna-san! (I'm sorry everyone!)**

**Presenting:**

* * *

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 5: His Fear**

Shirogane's phone went off again two-and-a-half hours later. The morning sun's rays penetrated the translucent layer of curtains, lighting up the room. Gentle breezes blew the curtain as they whipped about. He could feel gusts of wind blowing.

Opening his eyes, he shut off the still-buzzing alarm and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning," Dravise spoke, greeting his b-shot.

"Morning," Shirogane answered, his eyes still half-lidded and his mind not completely sober. He pushed his legs off the bedside and sat there soundlessly.

"Wash up, you'll feel more awake after you do," Dravise commanded the half-awake boy and he shuffled into the bathroom without complaint, though usually he'd retort against ordering him around.

* * *

He was still getting dressed after a long (and comfortable) soak in the tub, pulling on some fresh clothes. As soon as he pulled up the black armband around his right arm, his phone beeped with a text message from Tenpouin.

'Hey, Shirogane-kun. It's buffet breakfast today. Come down ASAP while the food's still edible, okay?' it wrote. Shirogane didn't reply as he grabbed Dravise and headed down quickly, 'while the food's still edible'. Upon reaching the dining room, he found trays and trays of prepared food, ranging from porridge to sausages to salad to scrambled eggs.

"I heard Homura-kun's back," Tenpouin mentioned after the boy joined her at the table with a plate of sausages, hash browns and a little of the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. A glass of milk sat beside the plate. The silverware in his hands stopped moving when he heard the news.

"Is he supposed to be in East City or West City, actually?" Shirogane asked. Tenpouin shrugged and replied, "Well, he has transferred to West City, but he still goes to East City for his own reasons. I wouldn't pry."

"Ah, I see. Do you think he'll tell me if I ask him?" Tenpouin gave him another casual shrug.

"Probably not. You know how he is." Shirogane nodded and took a sip of the milk in his glass. _I once lived in East City myself, until…_

* * *

The elite student with blue-black hair stared out the window uninterestedly, for history class was far too mundane and boring, even for the studious type like him. He had highlighted his notes neatly and jotted down points once in a while, but his gaze was directed out into the clear skies. His fingers started twirling his pen around, and he itched to take out his planner-notebook-diary and fill it with scribbles or even a drawing or two.

Just then, a knock was heard on the door, and a familiar voice called. Shirogane's interest shot back to the door immediately.

"May I come in?" Homura's voice rang from outside, to which the teacher allowed. West block's top b-shot widened his eyes subconsciously when his eyes met with silver-white hair and then beautiful emerald orbs shining beautifully under the fluorescent tube-shaped lights.

"Okay guys, our school will be having a student exchange programme for the first years with Erito Middle School in East City. We, the student council, have picked the following students from this class to join our 50 student exchange. They are as follows: Aoi Keki, Amano Karaya…"

Shirogane had already fished out his planner-notebook-diary from his school bag and flipped it to the planner section, for he knew that Homura would surely have him picked. He waited patiently for his name to be called, and it was.

* * *

(A week later.)

A certain midnight-blue haired boy was sitting in the back of a train carriage on the cushioned seats. His gaze was set out the window as the train sped by trees, bushes, grass fields and even a paddy field.

Shirogane sighed. He couldn't grasp the meaning in Homura's action this time. Was it really for the better? Or worse?

_Stop kidding yourself,_ a voice –his voice- warned him. _He has intentions and you know it. Never without a motive, remember?_

A second sigh escaped his lips. He averted his line of sight from the bearing fruit trees zooming by to a patch of silver-white hair jutting out from above the seats. _You really have motives, Homura. Question is, what could be your plan in East City? Because you just made my dare a whole lot easier._

But then again, maybe it was just _too easy_. Easy to the point where it was suspicious, and even a little shady. _How is he even on the council on the first place? _But then, he came up with a reasoning just as fast. _But of course. He is Homura. Probably won the teachers over with a simple manipulation and a fake smile._

_But why does it look like he's helping me?_ He pondered on the matter for a while before deciding to drop it and just take a rest or so before they reached East City. His eyelids shut close and Homura felt a glare that bore holes in his back disappear. He turned around and saw Shirogane asleep, so he (with a slight smirk) walked over and took the seat beside the sleeping boy. Sound asleep, Shirogane didn't notice until Homura woke him to get off the train.

Waking with a glare directed at Homura, the white-head merely faked an innocent smile and pointed over his shoulder to the door. The midnight-blue haired one sighed, grabbed his sling bag and backpack from the top metal compartment, then silently followed the taller one out the train carriage.

* * *

"You're not joining us? We can drop you off near his house when we pass by his street," Homura offered Shirogane upon hearing his plans to wait for Ryugasaki. Shirogane shook his head and bade, then went off on his own.

"Homura-kun," a female student called. Homura turned to her with an ever-so-fake-but-genuine-looking smile. She continued to ask, "Is Shirogane-kun not joining us?"

"No, he won't be." Then, Homura changed his normal smile into a cuter one while adding on a pair of innocent closed eyes and said, "But don't worry Shirasawa-san, I'll always be around if you need anything." The combination of his words and his expression cleared the girl of any thoughts of Shirogane, instead having her fall for him instead. He smirked internally.

* * *

Shirogane had walked out into the uncharacteristically cold spring air to look for Ryugasaki and his mother's car. He craned his neck higher while standing on tippy toes to look farther. When he couldn't find it (he knows what the car looks like because Ryugasaki had sent him a picture of it and the car's license plate number), he lowered his heels and shrunk his chin into his buttoned (sleeves unrolled) yellow jacket. As the cold seeped through his jacket and stung his arms with its freezing needles, he felt his nose itch and he turned away to stifle his sneeze.

At that one cliché moment, Ryugasaki ran up the steps of the train station and spotted Shirogane turning away. He added more speed to his feet and pulled out a tissue from his jacket's right pocket. The innocent blue-head stretched his arm out and offered the tissue wordlessly to Shirogane, a smile plastered on his face.

"T-thanks," Shirogane mumbled as he accepted the thrust-out tissue, a minor tint of pink colouring his cheeks. Ryugasaki sported an even cuter smile and playfully snatched Shirogane's sling bag from his shoulder, hinting his offer to carry that bag. The midnight-blue haired boy nodded and watched as Ryugasaki ran down the at-least-thirty steps of the train station. Shirogane followed closely behind, running to catch up. When he was ten steps away from reaching the ground however, Ryugasaki tripped. Luckily, Shirogane grabbed onto the hem of the boy's jacket in the nick of time, and both boys heaved a sigh of relief.

"Don't do that again. Unless you want me to have a heart attack, that is," Shirogane told Ryugasaki as he helped the bluenette back onto his feet. The comparatively innocent one scratched the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly.

"Gomen ne, Shirogane-kun," he apologized adorably. "I was careless." Seeing his friend (he hopes) give a nod, he took off again down the remaining steps. Shirogane sighed mentally and physically as he walked calmly down the stairs towards the waiting car as well as Ryugasaki's mother.

"Arigato, Ryugasaki-san," Shirogane thanked and bowed to the blue-haired lady in the car, who was waiting patiently. She raised a hand and shook it back and forth, replying, "No it's alright, Shirogane-kun. I was not busy anyway. Thanks for catching my darling Kakeru back there." She shot a glance (with a hint of glaring) at the younger Ryugasaki. To save his friend from getting scolded, Shirogane bowed and thanked her again for coming to pick him up and allowing him to stay with her and Ryugasaki in his polite manner, which the mother appreciated and smiled at.

"I wish Ryugasaki was a little more like you: mature, polite, careful and having a way with words."

"Mom!" the most childish bluenette of the three protested and pouted, already sitting in the car waiting. His mother turned to the back and tugged at his cheek and said some things that Shirogane didn't really pay attention to. Instead, his thoughts had drifted off.

_If your Ryugasaki has had a childhood like mine, then I can assure you, he will most definitely not be the sweet, innocent child he is today._

* * *

Homura had just finished helping out the teachers and the other student council members with managing and distributing the rooms to the students in the hostel. Just as he had a five second break, his phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID before picking up. The schemer was immediately greeted by a familiar sickly-sweet voice that said, "Homura-kun, have you guys arrived yet?"

"Yes, we have," Homura answered. "Shirogane's in the residential area near the park with an angel fountain and four blooming Sakura trees."

"You mean the Shizen park? That residential area?" the shrill, sweet voice asked. Homura answered with a simple 'mhm' and continued to say, "He's living with blue haired mother and son, the son being his age."

"Thank you, Homura-kun," the voice said before hanging up. Homura found no reason to bother about reminding the person their deal, he knew that she remembered. _I'm getting what I deserve, she's getting what she deserves, and Shirogane's getting what he deserves._

* * *

In the afternoon, Shirogane had pretty much settled in, having his bags unpacked and his clothes already readily arranged in the cabinet drawers. He felt like going out for a walk before the sun set, so he informed the older Ryugasaki (the younger was asleep in his room, having a pleasant afternoon nap) before heading out.

It was relaxing, until he started to feel a presence follow him around. He walked faster at that unsettling feeling in his mind, but the feeling of being followed didn't shake. In a tinge of uncertainty, he ran. As fast as he could, he ran and ran, trying to shake his followers off. But his efforts resulted in smoke.

"I know you're there, show yourself!" Shirogane boldly shouted when he couldn't take the feeling any longer. The person, a lady, stepped out from behind a white wall of a house round the corner behind Shirogane. She was dressed in a pencil skirt and a long-sleeved shirt, a sadistic grin across her face. Her golden-yellow eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement, like a cat playing with a near-dead bird. Her entire being seemed to radiate spite, aggression, anger, revenge, and hate.

"Subaru, come to mommy~" she called out to the shocked boy teasingly, with a coat of malice over all her words. Shirogane could hear the hidden venom dripping from her words, her tone, her sickly-sweet voice that was engraved in his mind through unimaginable pain and abuse.

Shirogane could only stand frozen in his spot, fear and panic overwhelming his thoughts._ It's her, it's really her. I can't believe it. Okaa-san… _

* * *

**A/N: I typed this over two or three days, I think. You can start to see the vast difference between when it is the holidays and when it is not, I believe? Oh and I tried to create a little suspense at the ending, but I think I failed. *sobs* **

**I also tried a little fluff, and I succeeded (sort of)!**

**I know you guys are cursing at me for extremely short chapters, I apologize for that. I am not capable of long chapters, or I will (1) take a long time to update, (2) lose interest in writing the story. I know, my second reason sounds absurd. But what can I say? I am an absurd person. XD**

**Japanese terms' meanings:**

-Gomen ne: Sorry

-Arigato: Thank you

-Okaa-san: Mom

**If there were any else that I didn't add in that you don't understand, feel free to ask in a review or PM, whichever you prefer.**

**Well, that's just about it for this chapter. Please review!**

**I have tried to make this update a little longer (not that it is noticable, anyway), PhoenixFireBlade :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Tell Me Everything You Know

**I thank everyone who has stuck with me until this chapter. Honestly, I wouldn't blame those that decided this is not worth their time. Even I would only take this as side reading material. **

***cough* *lack of description* *cough* *lack of suspense* *cough***

**Anyways, I present:**

* * *

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 6: Tell Me Everything You Know**

"_Subaru, come to mommy~" she called out to the shocked boy teasingly, with a coat of malice over all her words. Shirogane could hear the hidden venom dripping from her words, her tone, her sickly-sweet voice that was engraved in his mind through unimaginable pain and abuse._

_Shirogane could only stand frozen in his spot, fear and panic overwhelming his thoughts_. It's her, it's really her. I can't believe it. Okaa-san…

* * *

"W-what are you doing here?" he asked the grown woman weakly. His feet were glued to the sidewalk and all he could to in the presence of his mother was stutter. She smirked menacingly, triumphantly, and devilishly –to the point of making Satan look like an angel- at her fear-stricken son.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten, Subaru-chan," she cooed sarcastically. "We lived in East City together, my dear, before you decided to run off to your father in West City." He shut his eyes tightly as memories of his desperate escape overtook his senses.

* * *

"_**Subaru! You come back here right now, you hell of a son!"**_

"_**No! Mother, please!"**_

"_**Subaru!" **_

_**His eyes caught a glimpse of the light reflected off his mother's protruding knife in her pocket as a car's headlights shone onto the blade. Seconds later, a sharp pain came searing through the back of his left thigh, causing him to stumble and fall flat onto the pavement. His arms and knees were scraped when the skin came in contact with the not-so-smooth surface, the knife in his thigh gashing and falling from his flesh on impact. The bloody wound continued to bleed, so taking his chances on what little knowledge he had of misdirection, he turned to face his mother. When they locked eyes, he turned his gaze to the left, where the park dimly lit by moonlight was. When his mother's eyes copied his (he was hoping to be able to make her), he scrambled to pick himself off the floor and ducked into an alley between two mansion-like houses. He could feel (he always could) his mother's seething rage at being tricked by a simple manipulation, pulled off by her son, no less. He didn't stop running –partly of common sense and partly sheer fear- until he had lost too much blood and fell onto the ground. In that completely different residential area, a good Samaritan took him to a private hospital. When asked, he told them that he had a relative in West City, nothing more. So they sent him there to live with his father.**_

* * *

Now, the sunset's rays landed on that same bloodied blade, and he felt nauseous, remembering the metallic stench of his own blood that the knife drew. He subconsciously patted his thigh, feeling the scar left there in the place of the wound. A tear fell from his right eye, and a second followed from his left. Two crystal drops.

"Do you need me to wipe them for you, Subaru?" she asked, her hand reaching for Subaru's right cheek. Reflexively, instinctively, he raised his hand and slapped his mother's away. In that instant, he saw his mother's red eyes turn fifty shades darker.

_Shit. What did I just do… I'm done for, she's fuming._

"You dare fight back now, huh?" His eyes seemed to want to widen, but he didn't allow them, for the brimming, threatening tears would come spilling. He gulped nervously and became even more alert when her right hand grabbed the handle of the knife and held it up, looking to stab him.

Her hand trashed down at him in fury. He, who had seen it coming (luckily), leapt to a side, barely missing the blade. His left rolled up sleeve was torn and unrolled.

_Why did I dodge that? Resisting only makes everything worse!_ He knew his mother; any form of resistance put up would only result in more severe tortures.

"Maybe being in West City really has helped you to gain confidence, and reflexes to resist me." She smirked that devilish smirk again. "No matter. I'll just break and rebuild you however I desire, so you won't even be able to run from me ever again." The thoughts took some time to sink in, but he soon caught the words' meaning.

_Run now, or you're never going to be able to ever again._ He took off, sprinting round the corner. Doesn't matter where he ended up, lost or not, he just needed to get away.

* * *

Ryugasaki opened his tired eyes at the sound of his phone beeping. Wondering who it could be, he took a look at the glowing device, and saw an email from Homura. He quickly opened it and read through the content.

"Imperial Hotel, that's not far," he thought out loud. "Driving will take my mom no more than five minutes, plenty of time for me to sleep." Then again, his mom was never a slow driver, so it wasn't as close as he thought the building was for the opening ceremony dinner which also served as an ice-breaker event for the students to mingle about.

Just as he was about to hit the pillows for another twenty minutes before getting ready, his mother called out to him from the living room.

"Kakeru! Shirogane-kun's went out for a walk. He said he's not going to go far, so would you be a darling and go get him for me, in case he's forgotten the time?" Ryugasaki groaned inwardly before throwing off the blanket on him and grabbed his jacket. He knew his mother never _requested_ him, all of them were commands no matter how many choices she seemed to be giving him.

"Yes, mom. I'll be going now," he bade before stepping out into the spring air, which seemed to have gotten warmer compared to a few hours ago. He looked to the left, then the right, and decided to turn towards the left.

After five minutes of walking and hoping he'd bump into Shirogane, Ryugasaki realized that he could've just called the former and tell him to head home. He fished out his phone and started to punch in Shirogane's number when he turned a corner, and accidentally had a collision with someone. Because the person was running at the speed he/she was, Ryugasaki was sent tumbling onto the ground.

"Gomen ne," he started off apologizing before he even looked at the person he ran into. He turned his attention to the person he collided with and gasped.

"Shirogane-kun?"

* * *

Shirogane was in such a panic that he couldn't stop running, because his gut told him that if he did before he had successfully lost his mother, he would be sent to a world more frightening and torturous than hell. Because of that thought, not only did he not stop, he kept accelerating. His pace quickened and his heart rammed wildly against his ribcage. His movements were desperate and frantic and he wished so badly that either he or his mother could simply vanish into thin air.

As he rounded a corner, he looked back at his slowly approaching mother. She was walking confidently, as if she knew that he couldn't escape. But because he looked back, Shirogane failed to notice the person before him and ran into that person, causing both sides to fall over.

_Oh no. I wasn't watching where I was going. She's going to catch up._ He was about to pick himself from the floor when he heard "Gomen ne." The voice sounded so familiar and he jerked back his head to look at the person in front of him.

"Shirogane-kun?" Ryugasaki called him. Worry flooded his senses and he felt himself trapped between two choices: having to spill everything about himself and his ugly past to the innocent Ryugasaki, or let himself get dragged away by his mother. His eyes must have betrayed him, because he caught the bluenette observing his own blue orbs.

"It… it was nothing. Let's go." He took one last quick glance back at his approaching mother (so did Ryugasaki) and dragged his blue-haired friend away, frantic apparent in his features and movements. His mother only looked at the two escape as she sighed inwardly. She could not risk going after Subaru in other people's presence.

* * *

"Shirogane-kun," Mrs Ryugasaki addressed. The midnight-blue haired looked up into her eyes and waited for her to continue.

"Kakeru told me that you both need to be at Imperial Hotel by 7, correct? Freshen up before you go. I'll have Kakeru lend you one of his towels."

"No need, Ryugasaki-san. I have my own," he replied. "When do we need to leave for the dinner?"

"Six forty-five. I'll be waiting for you though, so take your time," she answered. Shirogane nodded and headed up immediately, avoiding Ryugasaki on his way up the staircase. He ducked (instinctively) into the bluenette's room, then the bathroom conjoined to the bedroom, and undressed.

He looked at his own scars and bruises that lined his body, subconsciously reaching for the one across his left thigh as he thought of his mother appearing. _I can't believe I forgot she's here, in East City…_

He had banished his painful childhood from his thoughts, locked them away and never once looked back on it until she approached him. Sure, Homura mentioning the word 'streaker' did remind him of the past subtly, but he didn't dwell over it. He felt thankful that Ryugasaki didn't ask about _her,_ why she approached him and why he looked mortified upon seeing her.

He walked over to and stood under the showerhead as he easily figured out the way the heater worked. He had the sprinkled water falling from the showerhead adjusted to a scorching 44 degrees, and allowed the water to burn his skin and distract him.

_This actually feels good, thanks Ryugasaki… Kakeru. Your understanding nature, I wonder if you can help me fight this paralyzing fear of mine. Please…_

He lost track of time standing in the heated water; the way it ran over and burned his skin he considered comfortable. Suddenly, knocks on the locked door were heard, followed by the younger Ryugasaki's voice.

"Shirogane-kun, it's six forty! Are you going to be long?" He opened his eyes wide at the realization of time he spent in the shower, turning it off immediately and wrapped himself in his light-blue coloured towel.

"I'm done, just let me dress myself," he replied and he heard footsteps walk away from the other side of the door. He pulled on his clothes quickly (replacing his torn jacket with another yellow one, except that the designs were different) and exited the bathroom. He averted his gaze from the bluenette seated on the bed and headed towards the door. He placed his fingers over the doorknob, gripping it.

"Come on, let's go," Shirogane said as he turned the knob. He swung the door open, about to head downstairs when Ryugasaki stood up from the bed, his arms crossed.

"No. We still have five minutes." Shirogane turned around at the unfamiliar tone in the blue dragon b-daman user's voice. He could see the if-you-don't-tell-me-what's-going-on-I'm-not-going-anywhere stare (or was it a glare?) slapped on Ryugasaki's face, and he gulped inwardly.

"Shirogane," he said while dropping the honorific -kun, "tell me everything you know." He walked over with an authoritative aura surrounding him, closed the door, and locked eyes with Shirogane. The cornered one's eyes quivered in slight fear of this unseen side of Ryugasaki, but kept quiet.

"I'm, or we're, not going anywhere until you spill." He made his glare more visible. "Tell me everything, and I mean _everything_, that you know."

* * *

**Wow, Ryugasaki is way OOC ^^" Sorry about that, but I needed Shirogane intimidated, even if it is by the originally innocent Ryugasaki Kakeru.**

**Review please! Criticism allowed!**

**Oh and thank you, Guest-san for giving me a review :) I was about to post this when I saw that there was a review, so I decided to just mention how much relief I'm feeling right now. Seriously though, thank you for saying something.**

**SuKeru forever, PhoenixFireBlade**


	7. Chapter 7: A Q&A Session

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 7: A Q&amp;A Session**

* * *

"_Shirogane," he said while dropping the honorific -kun, "tell me everything you know." He walked over with an authoritative aura surrounding him, closed the door, and locked eyes with Shirogane. The cornered one's eyes quivered in slight fear of this unseen side of Ryugasaki, but kept quiet._

"_I'm, or we're, not going anywhere until you spill." He made his glare more visible. "Tell me everything, and I mean everything, that you know."_

* * *

Shirogane stood there silently, focusing his eyes into a glare, hoping to intimidate Ryugasaki into dropping the subject. Under his sharp glare, 9 out of 10 people would back down and leave it alone. Unfortunately, Ryugasaki was that 1 out of 10 who wouldn't.

"Your glare doesn't scare me, because I'm not afraid of your eyes," the lighter-blue haired b-shot declared. Shirogane then resorted to being plain stubborn and pressed his lips into a thin line, averting his gaze again from Ryugasaki.

"I think I don't owe you anything," Shirogane decided to say. He was about to step away when the other person in the room used his cut left hand to land a slap across his cheek. It stung, but what grabbed his attention the most were the bandages that wrapped around Ryugasaki's palm.

"W-when did you…" Ryugasaki retracted back his hand and shot Shirogane a look that made the blue-black haired boy feel guilty.

"When do you think? You knocked into me running from that woman and sent me off my feet. My hands helped to lessen the impact and a shard of glass cut it," Ryugasaki replied in a way that was almost angry, now holding his left palm in his right protectively. Shirogane stared at his movements, as if there was a dash of mistrust between them.

"You didn't say anything, so how would I have known?" the midnight-blue haired one said childishly, not admitting to anything. The East Block b-shot sighed. He felt like he wasn't going to get anything out of his rival in time for the ceremony, so he decided to put it off. In a way, giving in.

"Since we're lacking time, I'll let you go. But I want a detailed explanation out of you when we get back, as compensation for making me late," Ryugasaki declared, giving Shirogane a wink before opening the door. The latter groaned inwardly; he knew he'd have to spill anyway. Holding it off _might_ be better, or it could just make things way, way worse.

* * *

After the opening ceremony, the car ride home was surprisingly suffocating. Nobody said a word, save for Mrs Ryugasaki's "Get in the car" and "We're home!". Shirogane was most likely contemplating on how he was supposed to tell Ryugasaki _everything_, and the other bluenette was likely preparing himself for what he was about to have flaunted in his face. They barely made eye contact, also probably because the blue dragon b-daman user noticed that Shirogane needed to be alone. He went on to set up the futon for his guest, while the latter showered.

"You're finally done," Ryugasaki said, with a hint of regret in his tone, when Shirogane exited the bathroom. West Block's top player scrutinized Ryugasaki's expression upon hearing the regret, before giving a hesitant nod.

"You should take yours," he added, trying to reduce the awkwardness in the air. Ryugasaki said nothing and slipped into the bathroom. Shirogane released a sigh.

He pulled Dravise out of his pocket and put the b-daman onto the nightstand, giving it a view of the room. He turned away without a word, setting up his things on the space Ryugasaki cleared for him.

* * *

Inside the bathroom, it was Ryugasaki's turn to turn the heat up and burn his own skin, as a simple distraction. He nearly banged his head against the marble sink, blaming himself for making things suffocating and awkward between him and his rival.

"I'm stupid, aren't I Dracyan?" he asked his crossfire partner. The b-daman's irises moved in the showering boy's direction, saying, "You were worried. That's all."

"Still, I shouldn't have pushed it," the b-shot regretted.

"Maybe. But he won't spill otherwise. You needed to intimidate him."

"I think he thinks I'm… mad. At him," Ryugasaki finally voiced, choking a hiccup.

"He knows that's not it. He's too smart to think that way. He knows you have your reasons for pushing," Dracyan reassured, seeing the guilt his partner felt. "People often make choices they regret and he knows that. Very well."

"Why would he? I mean, he's the kind to not make mistakes."

"He's the kind to make a mistake and not apologize for it," Dracyan corrected him. "He's more prideful and thus, he doesn't admit his mistakes. That will only lead to bigger problems, so on and so forth."

"Possibly." Ryugasaki thought over it. "Hey Dracyan?"

"Yes?"

"Should I apologize on the first chance I get?" Dracyan smiled inwardly.

"Yes. He will appreciate it."

"Thanks."

* * *

"Dravise, what should I do?" Shirogane finally asked after having a stale silence in the room with the b-daman.

"About?" Dravise asked back.

"My… past. How I'm supposed to tell anyone. I mean, people will judge, right? Will… he?"

"You should know that he isn't the judgemental kind of person," Dravise said. "He'll take in whatever you have to say with a smile and a nod."

"Sure? I don't want him to get involved, though."

"Then tell him not to get himself involved."

"He won't listen."

"Not if you say it with emotion."

"Dravise!"

"What?"

Shirogane suddenly realized that he had accidentally raised his voice when the soft mumbles he couldn't make out from the bathroom stopped suddenly. It resumed not long after, and Shirogane turned to face his b-daman again.

"Tell me," Dravise started, "Do you want him to find out about it through you, or would you rather he finds out from other people?" That gave Shirogane another way to view his problem.

"So what you're saying is that… he will find out either way?"

"Mhm."

"Through me, I guess."

"You guess? Don't kid yourself. You _know_ he'd feel hurt if you kept a secret from him. There needs to be trust," Dravise told his partner, with a hint of _'you'd better tell him before he finds out for himself'_.

"You're right. He has to hear it from me," Shirogane concluded. "But how do I tell him?"

"Maybe start off with who the lady is, since he's seen her before."

"I suppose that's wise. Thanks."

"What would you do without me?" Dravise teased. Shirogane's lips curved upwards involuntarily, but he wasn't admitting to anything. But as quickly the smile came, it left his face as well.

* * *

Ryugasaki stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed in his pyjamas, looking ready to sleep. He caught sight of Shirogane sitting at the desk reading, and silently stepped over.

"Hey."

"WHAT THE-" Shirogane nearly cursed out loud when he heard Ryugasaki's voice. He turned around to look at his 'attacker' just as quickly, and placed a hand over his chest while heaving a sigh of relief when he saw blue hair and beautiful red orbs.

"Oh, it's just you."

Ryugasaki seemed shocked at the reaction he got out of Shirogane at first, but then laughed and laughed. The midnight-blue haired boy's cheeks became hot and beet red, and he shut the book immediately.

"This… never happened," he said in embarrassment.

After quieting down from his laughing fit, Ryugasaki nodded. His expression turned solemn suddenly, and he apologized.

"I'm sorry. About earlier." Shirogane knew what he was referring to, and waved it off.

"It's okay." He sighed and continued. "How about we do this. You ask questions about what you want to know, and I'll answer. I will pass on those that I either don't know the answer to, or those that are too sensitive."

"Sure, if that makes things easier."

They paused for a while, and then almost telepathically agreed to do it after they've settled in for sleep. Ryugasaki strolled over to the light switch and effortlessly flicked it off, and clambered into his bed. Shirogane was lying on the futon right beside, his face facing the ceiling.

"Do we start?" he asked, yawning. It was nearing 11.

"Yep. First question, who was that woman you ran from?" Shirogane could feel his heartbeat increase rapidly at the thought of the bloodlust in _her_ eyes, but forcefully supressed the thought.

"My mom."

"Why'd you run?" Ryugasaki continued on. Shirogane could hear all kinds of sounds suddenly surface in his memory; the sickly sweetness in her voice, the sound of her blade swishing in the wind, his own cries.

"She was mean to me."

"How so?" the host asked the guest.

"Abuse," was all he replied.

Ryugasaki rolled to the side of the bed and peered down at the futon. He saw the other's arms folded under his head, eyes closed. It wasn't obvious, but the one looking down could see the slight fidgets of discomfort coming from the one lying facing the ceiling.

"Shirogane-kun?" Ryugasaki called out. The mentioned b-shot opened one eye and looked at the one above, before opening both and sitting up when he didn't say anything.

"What is it?"

"How long has it been? I mean, your own mother abusing you? Isn't that impossible?"

"I can't remember when it all started, honestly. I was very young. And it's not impossible. I just think she has mental issues," Shirogane told. He felt his cheek sting afterwards, and saw that Ryugasaki had slapped him.

"How can you… stand to say such things?"

"Say what?"

"Say stuff like 'My mom has mental issues'. I mean, no one should be saying stuff like that, right?"

"No one should if it's not the truth. But if I'm simply stating facts, would it change the reality of the situation?" Shirogane pointed out. Ryugasaki stayed silent.

"No, I understand what you mean. We shouldn't talk that way about our parents. Well, I was speculating about her being mentally ill anyways."

When he stopped, he looked up at the bed. Ryugasaki lay there silently and unmoving, stirring up worry in Shirogane's thoughts. Finally, the bluenette above spoke.

"I'll never understand what it's like to lie on the ground and have my mom hold up a knife at me." The blue eyed teen was stunned silent at that statement for a while, for that really did happen to him before, and he was shocked that Ryugasaki could even tell of a scene like that.

"Don't let my issues change your line of thinking. Despite what happened, I think I'm fine. Being in West City helped me escape the reality here," he advised. "Your mom's a nice person, and she won't harm you."

"I guess. Shirogane-kun, we live in very different worlds, don't we?" the crimson eyed b-shot asked.

"I suppose we do. But I don't think that's a bad thing," Shirogane replied.

"Then… do opposites attract?" Ryugasaki asked innocently, a smile on his face. Shirogane felt vomit hitch in his throat.

"W-what do you mean by 'attract'?" he accidentally stuttered, half-hoping that nothing was implied.

"I don't know what I mean." He giggled. "What I do know is that it feels easier to talk to you right now. Have we become close friends?"

_Be careful what you wish for._ He was tempted to speak his mind for a second back there, but decided against it.

"If you think of me as a close friend, then we are," he answered.

"Then do you?" Ryugsaki asked.

"I… I guess we are," he replied. "Good night."

"Good night then, Shirogane-kun."

The one on the futon lay there soundlessly, waiting and waiting for the one above to fall asleep. He'd glance up once in a while to check too. When he heard the bluenette's even breaths, he sat up from his position and kneeled at the edge of the bed, careful not to wake him up.

_He's cute when he's sleeping. Makes you just want to…_

He took his chances and ruffled the soft blue hair presented before him, taking in the feels. His hands carefully, slowly, extended down from the hair to the cheeks, caressing them. They moved over to the reddish-pinkish lips right after.

_I wonder why he doesn't notice a thing. But who's complaining?_ A smile made its way up his face, and he retracted his hands. _Homura's too much, wanting me to break this beautiful face, wanting me to destroy this free innocent spirit._ He sighed and stood up straight.

Silently, he stepped over to the desk, where he hid that book he always carried around behind the neatly arranged row of books. He turned on the table lamp and started to write.

_East City… I sort of forgot the horrors this place had in store for me. I wonder if that sly old man knew. His actions are always a little sketchy, and he plans things out almost too perfectly. If he knew that incident though, I doubt he's unaware of the fact that my mom's here._

_Speaking of that wretched old hag, I ran into her. Surprisingly enough, she was holding a blade. It was like she knew she was going to run into me. Strange, huh? Luckily I was able to evade her this afternoon. But then, another thing happened._

_Ryugasaki-kun found out. _

_Yes, he knows that I have a past here now, and he wants to know stuff about it quite badly. Whether for the better or worse, I answered his questions. I hope._

_Do I want other people to know? Maybe. If they won't judge. But humans are humans and some are bound to judge others, so why am I fooling myself?_

_I wish life were a little more simple. Oh well._

_Signing off,_

_S.S._

_24 April 20xx_

Satisfied, he flipped the pages closed, placed it again behind the row of books, and slipped back under the covers of his warm blanket on the futon.

* * *

**Didn't feel like adding an author's note up front; that'd only hinder getting to the story.**

**I'm sorry for not updating in one entire week. Mother Nature kind of decided to play an April Fool's Day joke with me by commanding viruses to attack my system.**

**In other words, I was so sick I couldn't write.**

**I know this isn't satisfying for a week's wait, so allow me to apologize again. *bows***

**A review would be nice! :)**

**Thanks for reading, people. *wink***

**~PhoenixFireBlade~**


	8. Chapter 8: Fantasy and Reality

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 8: Fantasy and Reality**

* * *

"Hah… hah…" Shirogane ran and ran from what heard to be slow, steady footsteps. The woods he was in proved to be hard to navigate in, especially in a cloudy night, when not even the moon would shine for him. He looked back once in a while during his escape while keeping his speed. No, he kept going faster.

Did I mention that it was so dark you could barely see your fingers 3 inches from your face?

Yes, it was that dark. But he persisted in his escape.

"Ack!" He tripped over a tree root and fell face first onto the damp, muddy undergrowth. _So gross… _he thought, though he quickly picked himself up and continued to run. He wiped his face while running because he feared that if he stopped to do just that, he might have gotten into big trouble.

The sound of _her_ knife was threatening. It swished around, cutting down bushes, plants and other living things in her way alike. Cold sweat began to form on his nape out of hunger. Black spots started to dance in his vision but he pushed himself on. Exhaustion was the least of his worries right now.

As if being chased by an insane hag wasn't bad enough, the geography of the forest he was in had to make things worse. His eyes widened when the soft, wet ground turned into a hard, rocky surface. The moon came out so he could see his predicament.

In front of him was a cliff. Behind of him was _her_.

"No…" he mumbled. _What now? Why, Kami-sama? If I had a place to run to I would have despite all else, but you give me a dead end? Do you hate me so?_

"You idiot… Your idiocy will be the end of you. Told you not to run, yet you disobey… Now you've exhausted yourself, AND FOR WHAT?!" The last part was shrill. Shirogane's ears rang as he winced inwardly. The darkness of the night made her all that much more terrifying. He felt his breath hitch and his whole body trembled.

"You chose to torture yourself – running, screaming, shouting like that. You thought you could get away, did you?" He shook his head rapidly, still praying for some kind of miracle to happen to/for him.

"Go die." She lifted the metal blade in her hands high, and the moonlight glinted off the blade's sharp, unforgiving surface. Shirogane could see his own fearful eyes reflected right back at him. She threw it at him and he swerved to the side.

Drops of dark red fluid oozed from his arm. "Shit," he cursed out loud. He looked back and noticed a piece of sharp white quartz – the thing that hurt him instead of the blade and left a huge bloody gash on his limb. He stood up with his left hand over the gash on his right arm as he scrutinized the woman in front of him. She held another knife – no wonder he saw two handles jutting out instead of the usual amount – one. She was prepared to actually kill him, was she?

She lifted her hand – the one with the knife – to make a ninety degree angle to her body. He stepped backwards towards the end of the ground with every step forward she took. _No… no… I'm going to fall… no…_ he thought every time his feet moved themselves back.

He looked over his shoulder at the slowly running out terrain under his feet. _Three steps at most… just three._

"Subaru…" _Two steps…_

The knife flashed dangerously at him. "Say goodbye, you asshole," she said to the boy. It poked at his cheek and left a small but painful wound. He trembled at the cold metal against his face. _One step…_

"Die!" She swung the blade diagonally, and Subaru took the supposedly available, life-saving step behind him, but he lost his footing while teetering over the edge and instead plunged headfirst. He was still looking up in a daze and weirdly calm when the woman herself looked over the edge, before sending that second knife of hers at the boy. He swore that he saw his mother's growl, hiss, narrowed eyes, snarl and glare in the weapon.

_Wait… I don't want to die yet!_ It was one of those moments when at first, you wanted to die so badly to stop the pain. Yet once you've gone ahead and sealed your fate, you suddenly take back your decision and want to live again. He found himself caught in just that kind of situation.

_NO! _Tears poured from his eyes as he heard the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below. Despair overtook his senses. _Please Kami-sama, I want to live. Give me another chance, I beg of you! _

His eyes shut as tightly as he could, waiting for that certain moment of death. It never came.

* * *

His eyes shot open wide and afraid, but thankfully all he saw when he did was the ceiling and the five-bladed ceiling fan.

"Huh… it was a dream after all." _Arigato, Kami-sama. You saved my life my turning it into a mere dream. Thank you so, so much._ He started sobbing, releasing the pressure inside and his overflowing relief to be alive, but he remembered where he was – Ryugasaki's place in East City – and who he was with – Ryugasaki was still sleeping on the bed – so he kept the sobs as soft as possible.

He was thankful he had perfect self-control over his actions, because he managed to halt the tears after about five minutes of silent weeping. He sat there on his futon, a bad feeling swirling in his gut like he had never felt before, and he knew something was wrong. He just couldn't pin point what. That foreboding feeling he felt was similar – if not identical – to those that he felt every time his mom would burst at him a few moments later.

"I just need to wash my face. Yeah, that's it," he convinced himself as he stood up from the floor. The cold air in the room bit at his skin and raised goosebumps on his delicate, fair, but previously wounded membrane. He entered the bathroom after flipping the correct light switches, splashing the warm gushing water onto his face repeatedly with his cupped hands.

He sighed. _Something's just… wrong. Not even water – my usual calming trick – can wash away the feeling. Should I be worried?_ He stood in front of the sink as he looked at his reflection in silence. His hair was a mess as usual, even if he wasn't one to roll about in bed, and his eyes had slight eyebags underneath them, probably due to lack of sleep. Subconsciously, his right palm cupped his left cheek and he caressed it with his slender fingers.

_She clawed me there before. _Even so, the wound from the abuse left no remains of any kind, and he was grateful in his own way. At least there were no physical marks left behind to remind him of the past.

* * *

_**He trembled under the sheets covering him, waiting for that one dreaded, wretched moment he knew so well. A good five minutes must surely have passed since he heard his mother's car pull up along the driveway, and yet **_**that **_**still hasn't befallen him yet. The young child shivered – it was actually slightly above warm under the blankets – nonetheless, for he was afraid, terrified, scared. He was sure his blue-haired guardian shut the vehicle's door a little too loudly, and that wasn't a good sign. She was most certainly scary enough as she was on a normal day.**_

_**But soon, he heard stomping footsteps – quick, strong, agitated ones – and he cringed. Just when he was about to believe that it wasn't his mother that had pulled up along the driveway too. **_

_**No words. His mother simply forced the door open with her set of spare keys without so much as a warning and in silent fury, pulled the sheets off the little boy. Her eyes bore holes through him with her glare before she wordlessly commanded him off the bed.**_

**I wonder if the absence of words is a good thing or a bad one, **_**he remembers wondering to himself.**_

_**The next thing he knew, his mother's thumb and pointer finger were wrapped around his left ear, and she pulled the pinna hard. Not to mention her long, sharp fingernails were dug into his skin and flesh when she did that. His eyes were shut tight and his lips released a hissing sound.**_

"_**You're going to feel the pain I felt," she grumbled to him within five inches from his ear. Shirogane could feel his spine tingle at the sudden contact between her breath and his skin. He didn't like it.**_

_**Her nails dug harder into his skin, causing the still-young and delicate layers to bleed. He only remembers screaming until he passed out afterwards when his abuser brought her hand down, her nails tearing through his flesh across his cheek all the way down to his chin. They didn't cross paths for three days afterwards.**_

* * *

Now, his right hand had let go of his cheek. He knew, deep down, that he was kidding himself when he thought that there were no scars left behind. The part behind his ear never fully healed, and besides, there were mental scars left anyway.

He sighed. Of all things to reminisce of his past, why did he have to remember this incident? He couldn't answer his own question.

He turned off the running warm water from the faucet he forgot was still open. He wiped his wet hands on his cotton pyjamas, not bothered to grab a napkin from the stack sitting on the left corner of the counter. His feet finally started moving after a while of standing in place. He thought for a second that if he stayed there any longer his feet would have numbed and solidified completely into blocks of immobile flesh.

_I swear, something's just not right,_ he thought when his right hand abruptly halted an inch away from the locked doorknob. That unsafe gut feeling was still there in the pit of his stomach, swirling his insides non-stop. It was almost like he thought something was waiting for him on the other side when and if he were to open the wooden door before him.

_Don't be stupid, _his logical mind retorted. _Nothing's going to happen to you so why so worried? _He contemplated on both his thoughts, the logical and illogical, and decided to listen to the former one.

What he didn't expect though, was a handkerchief slapped into his face, covering his nose and mouth the moment he set foot out the bathroom. An arm secured him in place against something else that felt like the body of either an adult or a taller teenager.

_Chloroform, _he thought before he passed out soundlessly.

* * *

The woman's smirk grew wide as she finished what she was doing – binding Shirogane's hands and feet with rope, his mouth gagged and an eyemask over his eyes.

"Your father was right in his decisions to not let you step foot in East City. He knows I still dislike you. No, more like I still hate you. He knows what I'm capable of, and he did everything in his power to prevent that, and yet you…" Kizuatou murmured to herself. She shut the door of her house's basement lightly and locked it, putting away the key with the rest of the bunch afterwards in their drawer. She caught sight of her most trusted and used so-called partner in crime. The washed and dried knife sat on the kitchen counter as light from the LED bulbs overhead reflected off it. The smile plastered on her face was absolutely sadistic.

"You came back here on your own accord. Pain really is addictive, isn't it Subaru…" The knife only shone dangerously as she held it up to her palm, swiftly leaving a shallow but bleeding cut across her own flesh. Her grin never left her face; it only grew wider.

* * *

The lone bluenette in the room stirred from his sleep when the frantic yelling of the two dragon b-damans disrupted the peace and quiet in the room. Ryugasaki couldn't quite make out what they were saying though, so he couldn't understand why they were so panicky. Well, it didn't help that the two machines were talking – yelling – simultaneously.

"Guys, what is going on?" He, in a half-asleep manner, rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned. But his attention focused the moment he felt the seething annoyance from the dragons.

"We told you already, Kakeru," Dracyan complained.

"You were the one who wasn't listening," Dravise added on to Dracyan's statement.

"Your guest, Shirogane, whom you were supposed to be watching over… has been kidnapped," they told the crimson-eyed boy simultaneously with a dead serious tone.

* * *

**Like finally! I promised an update by the weekend on the 5th and I actually completed the chapter! YAY! XD **

**I'm so incredibly sorry I didn't write for 1 month+! I'll apologise as much as I need to *bows***

**Okay. What the hell did I just write… How am I going to actually continue this predicament now? Ah well, I'll find some way to do it eventually. Hopefully a day or two after mid-year exams (18****th**** – 22****nd**** May).**

**One more thing, if you figured out why I named this chapter "Fantasy and Reality" then proceed to the next paragraph. Otherwise, read on. I named it so because in this chapter, we see two scenes where Shirogane's aware his mother's after him. One's a dream (fantasy) and the other's a past memory (reality).**

**Whoever is reading this, let me thank you and apologize for being non-existent/hiatus for so long. Let's just hope my updates will be more regular from here on out :)**

**~PhoenixFireBlade~ **


	9. Chapter 9: Reconcilation

***I Never Loved You, It Was Nothing But A Dare***

**#Chapter 9: Reconciliation **

"_Your guest, Shirogane, whom you were supposed to be watching over… has been kidnapped," they told the crimson-eyed boy simultaneously with a dead serious tone._

* * *

Shirogane woke to an unfamiliar place. His eyes didn't exactly respond immediately to his mind, but sooner or later he was able to see and feel around him. Well, as much as he could feel with his hands and feet bound. He barely but managed to toss his body from leaning on the right to the left, trying to take a good look of his surroundings. As much as he wanted to though, the lone tube-shaped florescent light was insufficient for looking around.

_Wait. This is not an unfamiliar place._

"Oh no…"

He noticed that while murmuring those two words, his voice was raspy and dry; his throat itchy to no ends. It felt like he hadn't had a drink of water or spoken for years. Just how long was he out?

The sudden opening of the door at the top of the stairs from what looked to be a basement drew his attention. His gaze flew upwards and his eyes caught a glimpse of blue hair.

Maybe he didn't want to know where he was and how long he was detained. He regretted it.

* * *

"H-Homura?"

"Ryugasaki-kun? Is that you? You don't sound so good," the sliver-haired boy muttered into the receiver half-asleep himself. It was a Saturday, so he couldn't understand what Ryugasaki was doing calling him at half past seven in the morning.

"I, um we…" Ryugasaki stammered, sounding somewhat nervous.

"Yes? What's the matter, Ryugasaki?"

"There's a problem. A huge one," the blue-dragon user finally said.

"What's the problem? Shirogane molested you last night?" Homura joked, not knowing that those few words would have greatly upset the other boy on the line.

"How I wish that had happened instead!" he cried and shrieked into the receiver. "How I wish! B-but that's not it, Homura! H-he's been kidnapped!" The green-eyed widened his emerald orbs at that.

_That lady had better _not _mess with my plans._

"Do you know who? And how?" Homura questioned the now hiccupping boy.

"N-not really. Dravise s-said he saw a silhouette leave the room though. He mentioned that the figure had long, dark-coloured hair, although the night had concealed the exact colour of the hair," was the boy's reply. Homura nodded – it made sense. Somewhere along the line, he had figured that she was somewhat mentally unstable.

"Relax. I think I've caught the culprit."

* * *

"I'll be damned if this isn't enough backup. But seriously, why are you so worried?" Homura asked Ryugasaki, who was walking beside him. Behind the boys were a few officers from the WBMA.

"I didn't like the way Shirogane's mom was dressed–"

"I had to send home the police."

That sent Ryugasaki into silence. His eyes were averted from the silver-haired's querying gaze to the sidewalk; the crimson orbs taking a shape that made them look almost wistful. For a while, the emerald-eyed kept his eyes trained on the shorter boy, but then looked away. Even he understood and respected that Ryugasaki didn't want to be looked at.

"This… isn't just about the dress code, is it?" Homura spoke, more as a comment rather than a question.

Again with the strained, suffocating silence.

"I didn't like her eyes." And this time, Homura didn't say anything.

* * *

Subaru was quiet.

Her beatings hurt, he knew she knew, and yet he didn't make a sound. Not because he didn't want to, but simply because he was too exhausted by then from enduring the pain from ten minutes ago until now. He screamed at first, but then he exhausted his voice, and became silent. But the fact that she couldn't hear him scream drew a pinch of rage from the woman, and she hit him harder.

"How dare you insult me like this! Your blank face irritates me like hell! Why aren't you pleading for mercy?!"

_You know, kaa-san– _Shirogane's slightly sarcastic mind thought –_I don't do it 'cause I gave up. You know that as well as anyone._

Amidst all her frequent shrieks, the blue-haired boy heard the sound of the basement door creak open. He said nothing, didn't even turn his head, for two reasons.

One: if the door simply creaked open without anyone opening it, then it would have amounted to nothing.

Two: if there was someone, then that someone didn't want to be noticed, so it would have been best to not direct attention that way.

Therefore, he concluded that he would stay silent. His mind unconsciously started to count the number of hits she landed since he heard the creak.

_One, two, three, four, five, six…_

He waited for the seventh. A second passed, then another, then the third second flew by. He flipped his body from a face-down position to the opposite stance to find a tuft of sliver. Right then, as he processed the scene of his mother groping the air as blind as a bat due to her glasses being ripped from her face, he felt someone grab him from behind.

_Blue hair… Ryugasaki?_

However, before he could finish the thought, his mother snatched him from whoever it was holding him. Her fingernails she never bothered to cut dug into his skin, but not nearly enough to break the membrane. In a blurry instant, before his feet could even position themselves to stand up straight, a cold blade found its way to his tender neck.

"Move and I'll slit his throat!" he heard his mother screech through his fuzzy hearing. He was quite disorientated by then, but clear-minded enough to know that if he balanced his feet and stood upright, the blade would break skin. So he had no choice but to allow his mother to hold him up, trusting that she wouldn't allow him to fall and leave a scratch, to say the least.

His mother held him captive, hostage, a sacrifice. It was perfect. The other party wouldn't dare move because their main purpose – or so he would like to believe – was to get him out of there.

Silence drifted for quite a while longer. Then an innocent voice rang through the basement.

"No! Just let him go!"

Shirogane opened his eyes with all the strength he could possibly muster in his eyelids, although only succeeding in creating thin slits for him to see through. Ryugasaki was standing face-to-face with his mother, and Shirogane wasn't quite sure about this but the mentioned teen's eyes looked somewhat watery.

"Ryugasaki…"

"And who are you to order me around?" the feared lady questioned the bluenette.

"I… I never said I had the power to order anyone around! But you shouldn't hurt Shirogane-kun like that either! H-he'll get hurt…"

"And why should I care? Do not interfere, you insolent–"

-_BANG!-_

All eyes except two pairs shifted their gazes from the lady to the person behind her. God knows when Homura snuck behind Shirogane's mother. Incredibly, nobody even noticed his shifted presence until he shot the marble dead at the woman's head – nothing serious, the bleeding was minimal, but she is unconscious.

And the knife spun out of control. But that wasn't out of Homura's expectations, neither was what happened after the knife spun. If its course unaltered, it would've sliced Shirogane's neck right across, but fortunately for him…

Ryugasaki's reflexes were too fast for his brain to keep up. Neither fear nor pain entered his mind until he grabbed onto the knife – with his bare right hand – and squeezed the blade tightly.

He gave a painful yelp, and the blade tumbled to the ground along with the released Shirogane. Blood flowed from the fresh wounds.

"Arigatou, Ryugasaki-kun. I told you I'd figure something out. I was waiting for the chance, is all," he calmly spoke in his own refined manner. Both the bluenettes stared at the silverhead, their mouths agape, stunned. The blue-dragon user used his unwounded hand to press hard onto the other in a futile attempt to stop the red-coloured river.

"B-but when? And how? W-why didn't we notice you? Why didn't you tell me your plans from the beginning?" Ryugasaki blurted out, gently tripping over his own words as they escaped his lips.

"I know plenty of quotes," answered Homura. On the ground, Shirogane understood his words immediately.

"To fool your enemies, you must fool your friends first…" he mumbled, his eyes shifting away from Homura. "He needed you to be as natural as you can, yet he knows you're no actor. But he understood your personality. He knew you would be the one stupid pawn that would supply him with his chance to strike. Am I right?"

Ryugasaki was stunned into silence. He tried to catch on to what they were saying.

"Your explanation is rather flawless," Homura confirmed. "Now let's get out of here. You need to have that bandaged."

* * *

_This is awkward…_

Shirogane just had his wounds disinfected, treated and bandaged at a hospital. The bandages on him covered a quarter to a third of his body. He was feeling stiff in his left arm, and not from injuries. More like he was feeling a not-so-dead weight cling onto his limb.

He sighed. "Ryugasaki-kun, do you mind?"

"Hm?" His attention now moved to the sapphire-eyes staring at him. Shirogane cocked his eyebrows a little and closed his eyes.

"I repeat: Do you mind?"

"Mind what?" asked back the other boy.

"Letting go of me," answered the former.

Ryugasaki's cerulean fringe fell, covering his eyes, as he lowered his head a little; his hands still stubbornly clinging onto Shirogane's arm. "You… don't like it?" he asked with a small timid voice now.

The blue-eyed boy widened his sapphire orbs gently in minor shock. "No. No, that's not what I meant. I just–"

"…kowai."

"Did you say something, Ryugasaki-kun?"

"*Watashi wa kowai! I'm scared of losing you again!" he shrieked. Shirogane stiffened slightly at the clingy Ryugasaki's sudden outburst, but immediately got rid of the tension by smacking the boy in the head while making sure that he didn't hurt him.

"Itai! What was that for?" complained the smacked boy. But he was compensated immediately when Shirogane stretched out his hand to pat his head.

"I'm not going anywhere, baka. So don't cry," the midnight-blue haired teen said as he wiped the crystal droplets at the edges of Ryugasaki's eyes.

"Promise?"

A chuckle. Shirogane clasped Ryugasaki's injured right hand in both his own. "Yeah. And I won't let you get hurt again." He squeezed the mass of bandaged flesh more precious than his own life tighter.

'_Cause I'm scared of losing you too. So please, stay with me._

_Because I love you._

* * *

*Watashi wa kowai: I'm scared! (Or at least I think it means that in Japanese. If I'm wrong, correct me.)

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know I took way too long to type a total of 1800 to 2000 words, but hopefully you guys enjoyed the conclusion to this minor Springtime arc. Next arc will be the ending Summertime arc – warning: time skip – because I'm too lazy to write the things that go in between. Just know that by summer, our kawaii Subaru's feelings for Kakeru – and vice versa – would have shot up a little.**

**Tell me my mistakes, flaws, errors, anything you find not right with my writing. But there's no need to comment on the inconsistency of my writing because I am fully aware of it. I only go on hiatus when I run out of ideas. Assuming you guys have heard the proverb/idiom (I have no idea which category this goes under) 'Hit the iron while it is still hot', once I stop writing, even when the idea hits (or is given; thank you Bdaman lover4ever) I find it hard to pick up the flow again. **

**I've learnt my lesson. I'll plan my next arc before I write it so I hopefully won't keep you guys waiting too long between each chapter. And help me out with voting on my one-shot idea please!**

_**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING ON MY STORY.**_** This is the update you guys have been waiting for, so I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Thanks for sticking with me. **

**~PhoenixFireBlade~**


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